FAI to ORD flight delays
Fairbanks, AK (FAI) Chicago, IL (ORD) · 2,785 miles
287 flights · July 2024 – July 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
83.86% of flights from Fairbanks to Chicago arrived within 15 minutes of schedule over July 2024 – July 2026, across 287 flights.
83.86%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
0.7%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
81 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
14 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
The season swings this route hard. In September it ran 33.9 points more punctual than in June — a difference bigger than the one between the best and worst airlines on most routes. If the date is flexible, it is worth more than the carrier.
The shape of the lateness matters here. Flights on this route are not late often, but when they are late they are late by about 81 minutes — long enough to lose a connection or an evening. The on-time percentage looks reassuring and understates the consequence of being on the wrong flight.
The route has been getting worse. The later months run 9.2 points less punctual than the earlier ones. A drift of that size is rarely weather; it is more often an airline adding frequencies faster than the airports can absorb them.
The two directions do not behave alike. ORD to FAI arrives on time 9 points less often than the outbound. Delay accumulates through the flying day, so whichever direction is scheduled later tends to carry the worse record — which is an argument for booking the morning departure if the choice exists.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over July 2024 – July 2026, United Airlines arrived on time most often on FAI to ORD. Flights ran closest to schedule in April and worst in June.
Every airline on FAI to ORD
Ranked by how many flights each one operated. A carrier with fewer than 100 flights in the period is listed but not graded.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 287 | 83.86% | 0.7% | 81 min | B |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
ORD to FAI Chicago back to Fairbanks 74.83% on time COther routes from Fairbanks
Common questions
Are flights from Fairbanks to Chicago usually delayed?
83.86% of flights on the FAI to ORD route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 2 in every ten arrived late. That is better than the average route in this record.
Which airlines fly from Fairbanks to Chicago?
Only United Airlines appears in the published record on this route, with 287 flights and 83.86% arriving on time.
How often are FAI to ORD flights cancelled?
0.7% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 7 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly Fairbanks to Chicago?
September, when 96% of flights arrived on time. The worst was June at 62.1%.
When FAI to ORD flights are late, how late are they?
About 81 minutes on average across the flights that arrived more than 15 minutes behind schedule.
What these figures do and do not tell you
Everything on this page is counted from the flights that actually operated on FAI to ORD during July 2024 – July 2026, as reported by the airlines to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics. "On time" is the federal definition: arriving at the gate within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.
A route's record is a description of the past, not a forecast. Weather, air traffic control and the aircraft's earlier flights that day drive most delays, and none of them are predictable from a historical rate. What the record does tell you is whether this route runs late more often than others, and which carrier on it has the better history — which is the part you can actually act on when you book.
Cancellations are counted separately from delays because they are a different problem for a traveller: a late flight still gets you there. How the grade is calculated →